Self-holding tread or mat.



J. A. KENT.

SELF HOLDING TREAD OR MAT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9, 1913.

1,1 1 3,355. Patented 0013.13, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. KENT, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SELF-HOLDING TREAD 0R MAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

' Application filed August 9, 1913. Serial No. 783,989. I

the stairs or steps from wear. While the in vention is especiallyadapted to be employed upon the steps or treads of hard wood stairs, yetit is applicable to the steps of cars and automobiles, and may beadvantageously used to protect stair-carpet, as hereinafter explained.

The object of the invention is to provide a tread mat or covering whichis self-attach ing, in the sense that'no tacks, nails, or otherfastenings are required.

A further object is to provide a device of the character describedwhich. will improve the sanitary conditions of stairways because of theease with which the devices 'may be removed, for the purpose of cleaningunderneath, and then replaced.

To these ends the invention consists in the improvements which I shallnow proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 is a topplan view of a tread ormat embodying my improvements. Fig. 9. is an under plan view of thesame, partly broken out. Figs. 3 and 4 represent, respectively, sectionson lines 33 and ll of Fig. 1, on a larger scale.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts in all of thefigures.

The body or mat 10, of suitableflexible material, such as rubber, havinga serrated upper surface, has a metallic binding strip 11, secured toits rear edge by suitable means such as indentations 12, saidindentations being formed in the strip and forced into the body 10, nearthe rear edge thereof. A front'metallic strip 13, has a shoulder portion 14, which protects the front edgeof the body 10, said strip beingbent to form a curved flange 15, which is adapted to hook over the frontedge of a stair or step. An under strip 16 is connected to the strip 13,as by rivets 17 extending through the body '10, near the front edgethereof. ThlS structure provides a mat or tread which, while amplyflexible for all purposes, has stiifenmg strips at its front and rearedges, one of said strips serving to hold the front edge so that itcannot be knocked loose, the rear edge being adapted to be lifted, ashereinafter described, for the purpose of detaching the tread or matfrom the stair.

The under surface of, the body 10 is formed with a plurality of suctiongrippers, which in the embodiment illustrated, are formed by recesses18, said recesses being shallow, 'as indicated in Fig. 4. Toothed disks19, secured to the body 10 by suitable w.

means, as by rivets 20, will serve to additionally hold the device inplace by reason of the teeth ofthe disks sufficiently entering the woodsurface of a stair or step to prevent lateral movement of the tread ormat.

The metal strips are or may be also provided with toothed portions. Forinstance, the strip 11, is shown as having three toothed ribs 21, andthe strip 16 is shown as having a toothed rib 22 at about its midlength, and a toothed rib 23 at each end, extending transversely of thestrip and at right angles to ribs 21.

By employing both the suction grippers and the toothed members, thetread mat is adapted for use upon either a hard surface or a softsurface. For instance, when used upon a wood surface, such as a housestairway, the recesses 18, when subjected to pressure, as by a personstepping upon the mat body, will become suction grippers, and thetoothed portions will become slightly embedded in the wood. If thedevice is used to protect carpeting, or other stair covering fabric ormaterial, the recesses 18 would possess no function, but the toothedmembers of the front and rear binding strips and the toothed disks 19,will so engage the carpeting or stair covering fabric as to cause thetread mat to become self-attaching and self-holding, without theemployment of any additional fastenings. When'thedevice is applied toposition, the curved flange 15 ,is pressed back against the frontprojecting edge of the stair tread, and the rear edge binding 11 iscarried back as far as possible to draw the body or mat taut, and then aperson standin aupon or walking upon the device for a brlef time willcause the device to be automatically attached. In fact, the device maybe put in position and left for the first user of the stairway to causethe hard wood steps or stairs, which are bare or uncovered, then thetoothed members may be omitted. It will also be'understood, of course,that I do not limit myself to any particular size or shape of thearticlesxor devices.

'When the devices have been placed in position as described, and it isthen desired to remove them 'for the purpose of washing or otherwisecleaning the stairs or steps, the devices may be easily taken away byfirst lifting the rear edge by means of the strip 11 and then continuingto pull so as to lift the rear edges of the recesses 18'to admit air threto, to destroy the suction grip.

% claim:

\ -A tread mat ofthe character described comprising a body of flexiblematerial, an under strip and an upper strip clamping the forward edge ofsaid body between them, said upper strip having a depending curvedflange or nose piece extending beyond the forward edge of said body.

2. A tread mat of the character described comprising a body of flexiblematerial, an

under strip and an upper strip clamping the forward edge of said bodybetween them, said upper strip having a depending shoulder extendingover the front edge of the body to protect the same, said strip beingbent below said shoulder to form a curved flange or nose.

- 3. A tread mat of the character described comprising a body offlexible material, a metallic binding strip secured to the rear edgethereof and an under strip and an upper strip clamping the forward edge.of said body between them, said upper strip having a depending curvedflange or nose piece extending beyond the forward edge of said body, theunder face of the binding strip and the under face of said under stripbeing provided with depending toothed ribs. 4. A tread mat of thecharacter described comprising a body of flexible material, a metallicbinding strip secured to the rear edge thereof and an under strip and anupper strip clamping the forward edge of said body between them, saidupper strip having a depending curved flange or nose piece extendingbeyond the forward edge of said body, the under face of the bindingstrip being provided with depending toothed ribs, said under clampingstrip being also provided with toothed ribs arranged at right angles tothe first mentioned toothed ribs.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my. signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

JAMES A KENT.

\Vitnesses A, W. Harr son, 1?. W. Pnzzn'r'rr.

Copies ot this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

